fleas

Environment

11:42 am

Mon January 6, 2014

The region’s dangerously cold temperatures could bring some benefits later in the year in the form of a smaller flea and tick population. But according to entomologist Doug Johnson of the University of Kentucky’s Princeton extension office, they’re resourceful animals. He says fleas, once indoors on a human or a pet brought in from the cold, can thrive, surviving on waste or debris until they mature. Johnson says ticks, by contrast, live mostly outdoors, and are more susceptible to cold.